The
Platte River (
Pawnee:
Kíckatusʾ) is a major
river in the state of
Nebraska and is about long. Measured to its farthest source via its tributary the
North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the
Missouri River, which itself is a tributary of the
Mississippi River which flows to the
Gulf of Mexico. The Platte over most of its length is a muddy, broad, shallow, meandering stream with a swampy bottom and many islands—a
braided stream. These characteristics made it too difficult for canoe travel, and it was never used as a major navigation route by European-American trappers or explorers.